Craig Martin (born 4 October 1993) is a South African professional soccer player who plays as a right-back or right midfielder for Cape Town City.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1993-10-04) 4 October 1993 (age 28) | ||
| Place of birth | Cape Town, South Africa | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Right-back, right midfielder[1] | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Cape Town City | ||
| Number | 30 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 0000–2014 | Kensington FC | ||
| 2014–2016 | Hellenic | ||
| 2016–2017 | Glendene United | ||
| 2017– | Cape Town City | 85 | (9) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2021– | South Africa | 1 | (0) |
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12:57, 12 April 2021 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 June 2021 | |||
Born in Cape Town,[2] Martin grew up in the Kensington suburb of Cape Town.[3] He attended Kensington High School and played for Kensington FC.[3] He later spent two seasons with Hellenic and one with Glendene United before signing for Cape Town City in summer 2017.[4][5][3] He made his debut for the club on 22 September 2017 as a 68th-minute substitute for Ayanda Patosi in a 1–0 win over Polokwane City.[2][6] He made his first start the following week in a 2–0 win away to Ajax Cape Town.[2][7] He scored the first goal of his professional career on 21 November 2017 in a 1–1 draw with Baroka.[8] On 20 January 2018, he scored the only goal of the game as Cape Town City beat rivals Ajax Cape Town for the second time that season.[9] He scored 3 goals in 22 league appearances in his first season at the club.[2]
In late 2020, it was reported that Orlando Pirates were interested in signing Martin, leading Cape Town City owner John Comitis to state that he valued the player at R45,000,000.[10] In January 2021, it was confirmed that Martin had contracted COVID-19.[11] Later that month, he signed a three-year contract extension with the club, ending speculation of a possible transfer to Orlando Pirates.[12]
Martin was called up to the South Africa national soccer team for the first time in March 2021 for 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches against Ghana and Sudan.[13]
He made his debut on 10 June 2021 in a friendly against Uganda.[14]
Martin can play as a right-back or as a right midfielder.[1]
Cape Town City F.C. (2016) – current squad | |
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